Jaleel White Says He Has ‘Family Matters’ Reboot ‘Cooking’
Jaleel White is eyeing a “Family Matters” reboot based on his real-life childhood.
According to People, the actor, 48, was the latest guest on David Duchovny’s “Fail Better” podcast, where he described his plan for the potential reboot. Last year, in a promo video for his “Growing Up Urkel” memoir, White claimed that he turned down a previous “Family Matters” reboot because it conflicted with his plan.
But in “Fail Better,” White fully describes his intention for the show. “I always saw the reboot, as involving another kid that didn't necessarily play Urkel Junior,” White said. “I thought the show should be about a kid, period, who goes on to a failing sitcom in the ’90s and upsets the apple cart but ends up saving the day.”
“The show should really be about this kid's normal life behind-the-scenes, going to public school, because I went to public school the entire time I was on that show, and his parents who know nothing about the business at all,” he continued.
White, the only child of Michael and Gail White, also detailed the show’s 30-minute runtime, similar to the original “Wonder Years” sitcom. White wants the show to “use this nucleus of three, this mom, dad and this kid as a journey back into the ’90s … to explore a completely different time. That, I thought, would have been a compelling show that you could get a lot of different generations to appreciate.”
White added that he’s “cooking” the series, although it would require development. The actor also cited the LeBron James-produced former Starz dramedy “Survivor’s Remorse” as inspiration for the “Family Matters” reboot.
“It was never about me. It was about telling the best story for the times,” White concluded.
The original “Family Matters” aired eight seasons from 1989 to 1997.